


a hand over his heart

by thor_odinson



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 15:00:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19064995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thor_odinson/pseuds/thor_odinson
Summary: Graham is convinced that the Evil Queen took his heart. He feels he can't love Emma enough without it and he's afraid that he'll hurt her. He's afraid that he'll leave her brokenhearted because he can't fully feel the love. But it's there. Emma knows it is and she'll do anything to make Graham see that she's right. Because she knows that they belong.





	a hand over his heart

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted [here](https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12044451/1/A-Hand-Over-His-Heart/) on my fanfiction.net account.

'Emma, wait. Please.'

I turned back to Graham, who'd stayed rooted to the spot after I'd started walking.

'Is everything okay?' I asked, going back to stand next to him.

'I—you're going to hate me for doing this but—' Dread set deep in the pit of my stomach, 'I—I can't do this,' he whispered.

My eyes widened. 'But… why?' I whispered, knowing exactly what  _'this'_  was. 'I thought we were—'

He smiled sadly and took my hands. 'It's not like that. I love you.' At his words I smiled slightly. 'But without my heart, I can't love you properly.'

'Look,' I said softly. I took his hand and slipped it under the front of his jacket, right above his heart. 'See? Your heart is in there, Graham.'

'She took it, Emma. She took my heart. It's not here.'

I sighed. 'Who took your heart, Graham?' I asked gently.

'The Evil Queen. She took it so I would obey her.'

I smiled fondly. 'Gosh, you really sound like Henry.'

He matched my smile, and stepped closer so we were only inches apart. All I had to do was reach up too close the gap. 'Your boy and I have a lot in common,' he joked.

'Yeah, I can see,' I laughed. Then my smile dissipated as I thought of something. 'So… what do you wanna do? I mean, if you don't think you can love me then…'

I saw him slouch as he closed his eyes. 'Emma, I love you,' he told me, and when he opened his eyes, I saw they were glistened with tears. 'I can tell you that until I die because I  _do_. I  _do_ love you but I can't show you. Not properly.'

His voice reduced to a whisper and he refused to meet my eyes. 'I don't wanna hurt you, Emma. I don't want to see your heart broken because of me.' And then his tears fell silently. He turned away, and I was left standing, watching the man I love cry because he felt he couldn't love me enough. That alone was enough to be a heartbreaker.

'Hey,' I whispered lightly. I took hold of his arm through his leather jacket, feeling the raindrops that covered it soak my palm. 'Look at me, Graham.

He turned to face me, tear stains lining his cheeks. 'I'm sorry, Emma.'

I stopped at his words. 'Are we…?' I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence.

'If  _you_  want to stay together, we can stay together,' he answered. 'I just don't want me to be the one who hurt you.'

'You won't hurt me, Graham. I promise.' I said confidently.

'How—how do you know?'

I smiled and put my own hand above his heart. 'Because I fell in love with the man with a heart,' I murmured.

'Emma, why do you have so much faith in me?'

'Because I love you,' I muttered in his ear as I wrapped my arms round his neck. 'And I believe in those I love.'

Reluctantly, he hugged me back and I felt him relax. We stayed in that position for what felt like millennia and when we pulled back, I rested my hands against his cheeks as our foreheads touched.

'I love you, Emma,' he whispered.

'I know,' I told him, smiling. 'I love you too.'

Our lips touched softly and it felt like we were back in Mary Margaret's loft, sitting on the sofa in front of the TV, our first kiss all over again. Our bodies seemed to melt together, melt against the rain; to the point where it was almost impossible to tell who was who and what was rain. We weren't Emma and Graham anymore: we were one.

I felt something in me reaching out to him, my soul reaching out to his. And I knew. I knew that this was true.

I knew that this was where we both belonged.


End file.
